The ride-sharing app Uber has logged the fastest ascent in Silicon Valley history, growing from a startup eight years ago to a company operating across 450 cities in 73 countries and serving 40 million customers each month.

But the company’s Boston-based regional manager, Meghan Verena Joyce, said the company’s ultimate objective is much larger - to merge traditional transportation infrastructure with new technology to create a new model of moving from one place to another.

“I often wonder whether my daughter will ever have a driver’s license,” Joyce mused as she spoke to 300 people at the AIM Executive Forum in Waltham this morning.

The new transportation model, Joyce said, will make efficient use of private automobiles and public transit to reduce traffic congestion, greenhouse gas emissions and land-intensive parking. It will create a system in which everyone – including people in low-income urban areas often left out of the transit grid – will have access to reliable and affordable transportation.

“We believe there is a better way,” said Joyce, a Harvard MBA who served as an associate at Bain Capital and as a senior policy advisor at the US Treasury before joining Uber in 2013.

The challenge is not the one billion automobiles that exist worldwide, according to Joyce, but the solitary manner in which we use them. A show of hands from the audience indicated that the vast majority of people had driven to the Executive Forum with only one person in the vehicle.

Joyce said that Uber has already taken steps to integrate technology with existing transportation infrastructure to streamline the system. Many Uber customers in Boston combine ride-sharing with the MBTA, while others use a modified car-pooling initiative called UberPOOL to share rides with neighbors who travel to the same locations at similar times.

Almost one-third of Uber trips in Great Boston come from UberPOOL, according to Joyce. In San Francisco, where UberPOOL has existed for a longer time, the program has reduced car traffic in that city and saved an estimated 6.2 million gallons of gasoline while cutting carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 55,000 metric tons.

Joyce said Uber’s vision also includes providing transportation options for people in low-income urban areas. People in Dorchester and Mattappan, who she said formerly waited an average of 25 minutes for taxi pickups, now enjoy 96 percent reliability and pickups within 3-5 minutes with ride sharing.

“Our vision is to create a transportation ecosystem that is better for everyone,” she said.

A proposed $38.1 billion state budget to be debated today on Beacon Hill contains no broad-based tax increases and makes substantive public-transportation reforms sought by the business community.

Employers are disappointed, however, that the spending blueprint reverses an agreement reached between business and the Legislature as part of the 2008 “combined reporting" tax policy change. Repeal of the so-called FAS 109 deduction, which had been postponed as the state revenues declined during the recession, could harm capital-intensive national and global companies.

“AIM continues to review the final budget for Fiscal Year 2016, but the budget conference committee has generally maintained the kind of spending discipline that employers support,” said John Regan, Executive Vice President of Government Affairs.

“The proposal lays the groundwork for real changes at the MBTA, changes intended to prevent the widespread service breakdowns we saw this past winter.”

The committee budget increases spending by 3.5 percent, less than the predicted 4.8 percent consensus on revenue growth. Unrestricted local aid would rise by $34 million and local education aid by $111.2 million.

The MBTA reforms provide Governor Charlie Baker with many of the tools he is seeking to overhaul the transit agency. The budget would suspend for three years the onerous privatization vetting of the Pacheco Law, give the secretary of transportation the authority to hire an MBTA general manager, increase the size of the state Transportation Board and create a temporary fiscal and management control board for the T.

Forms a special commission to improve state agency information-sharing capabilities to facilitate new business registration.

Authorizes the commissioner or revenue to offer an amnesty program for tax penalties in 2016.

Provides $2 million to the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund, which will train new workers in manufacturing, hospitality and other high-need industries.

Beacon Hill observers say the FAS 109 deduction is being repealed to pay for an increase in the earned income tax credit for low-income workers. The reversal sends a troubling signal to employers that previous agreements on major tax policy may be changed on a whim.

“It certainly does not help the commonwealth’s reputation for consistency on tax matters,” Regan said.

The 2008 Combined Reporting tax law brought income from companies' operations in other states into a unitary or "combined" Massachusetts return. The FAS 109 deduction was adopted to avoid penalizing companies after the fact for making capital investments. FAS 109 is an accounting standard that requires that financial statements reflect the tax consequences of all book/tax differences.

Fiscal Year 2016 began on July 1. If the Legislature approves the blueprint today, it goes to Governor Baker for his review. The Governor has 10 days to review the budget and take action - approve or veto the entire budget, veto or reduce specific line items, veto outside sections or submit changes as an amendment to the budget for further consideration by the Legislature.

The Legislature can override the governor’s vetoes with a two-thirds vote in each branch. The House must vote first to override any vetoes before they may be considered by the Senate.

What does the $500 million tax bill approved by the Legislature last week mean for employers?

Gas Tax: Includes a 3 cent per gallon increase in the gas tax. The current rate is 21 cents per gallon and the new tax will be 24 cents per gallon. The gas tax is also indexed to inflation, and automatic increases to the gas tax will become effective on January 1, 2015. See the Department of Revenue’s guidance on this new tax.

Sales and use tax on computer and software services: This new tax was originally proposed by Governor Patrick in January and was altered by the House and Senate to exclude “the cloud” and “data processing.” AIM urged the legislature to focus on transportation-related taxes and revenues rather than implementing new business taxes. Employers that purchase or offer computer and software services should review the recently released Department of Revenue interim guidance on this new tax. The effective date for collection of the tax is July 31, 2013 and the DOR’s interim guidance provides additional information regarding the transition period. Feedback needed: AIM is seeking your feedback on the DOR’s interim guidance to share with the department. To learn more read: TIR 13-10: Sales and Use Tax on Computer and Software Services Law Changes Effective July 31, 2013). In the near future, the DOR will also publish a working draft of regulations impacting the implementation and applicability of the new tax. The working draft is not yet available, but you can click here to read the current regulation 830 CMR 64H1.3. AIM member feedback on this document will also shape AIM’s comments to the DOR during the future public comment period.

Tax Regime Change from “cost of performance” to “market sourcing”: The final bill impacts corporate excise taxes by altering how Massachusetts sources sales, other than sales of tangible personal property, to the Bay State for sales factor purposes if a corporation’s “market” for the sale is in Massachusetts.

Utility Corporation Tax Change: The final bill eliminates the classification for utilities. Those levies would represent a tax increase on companies that deliver electricity, gas, water and telephone services.

FAS 109 Deduction: The FY14 Budget included a third delay in this deduction by publically traded companies that file combined reports.

Brownfields Tax Credit: The FY14 budget also included an extension of the brownfields tax credit to 2018.

The Massachusetts Legislature and Governor Deval Patrick lurched toward final approval yesterday of a $34 billion state budget for the fiscal year that began Monday and a $500 tax package required to fund that budget.

The Fiscal Year 2014 spending blueprint includes several measures affecting the cost of health insurance – it eliminates the Fair-Share Assessment created under the 2006 state health reform, drops the requirement that employers collect and retain the Health Insurance Responsibility Disclosure (HIRD) form, and replaces the current $67.20 per employee contribution to the Medical Security Trust Fund with a $50 per employee contribution to fund subsidized health care.

The measure also appropriates $2 million for the Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership.

Governor Deval Patrick has 10 days to consider the budget, which passed Monday after largely party-line votes in the House of Representatives and Senate.

The governor yesterday rejected and sent back to the Legislature the $500 million transportation finance bill because he believes it does not include enough revenue to fix the commonwealth’s roads, bridges and public transit systems. The governor proposed that the finance package, which increases the state gasoline and cigarette taxes and imposes a levy on software services, also boost the gas tax at least three additional cents beginning in 2017 when the tolls on the western portion of the Massachusetts Turnpike are set to come down.

House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray immediately declared the governor’s proposal dead on arrival. The Legislature is expected to vote on the bill with the changes proposed by Patrick after the July 4 holiday.

Associated Industries of Massachusetts has maintained throughout the debate that lawmakers should fund transportation improvements with transportation-specific sources of revenue rather than business taxes such as the one on computer software. The association nevertheless believes that the legislation passed by the House and Senate takes positive steps toward fixing the transportation system without crippling increases to the income tax or other broad-based levies.

“Last week, the Legislature passed a carefully calibrated revenue proposal that solves long-standing financial problems within the transportation system," Murray and DeLeo said in a statement.

"The administration’s proposal tying the question of tolls in Western Massachusetts - a plan not even mentioned in its original bill - to a 4 cents gas tax increase places too high a burden on the taxpayers of our state. This threatens working families and businesses still fighting to overcome the financial downturn. Therefore, we will ask our respective chambers to reject the administration’s proposal.”

Elimination of the Fair Share Assessment and the HIRD form were priorities of the AIM Health Policy Committee.

“We’re delighted that the Legislature included these items that will have an immediate benefit for employers struggling with the high cost of providing good health insurance coverage to their employees,” said William Grant, Chair of the Health Policy Committee and Chief Financial Officer at Cummings Properties in Woburn,

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Brian Dempsey said lawmakers have been prudent about rebuilding the state’s reserves after the recession.

Dempsey said the spending plan would leave Massachusetts with more than $1.5 billion in its stabilization account at the end of fiscal 2013, making it one of just four states with more than $1 billion in its rainy day fund. He said the Legislature also approved the first increase in unrestricted local aid for cities and towns in five years, and made investments in early education and elder care to reduce waiting lists for pre-school and home care services.

The Massachusetts Senate approved a transportation funding bill Saturday that would dedicate approximately $800 million per year in new taxes and other revenue to roads, bridges and public transit by 2018.

The Senate measure is larger than the $500 million package approved on April 8 by the House of Representatives, but still well below Governor Deval Patrick’s original proposal to raise $1.9 billion annually for transportation and education by raising the income tax and corporate taxes. The governor praised the Senate bill on Saturday as a significant step toward a “safe, functional, modern transportation system to keep pace with a growing economy.”

Senators voted 30 to 5 to approve the same basic group of tax changes passed by the House - $110 million from increasing the gasoline tax 3 cents per gallon and then indexing the levy to inflation; $161 million from a tax on computer services; $110 million from tobacco taxes; and $83 million from changes to utility classification and sales sourcing.

The Senate bill adds revenue from several sources, including $40 million by requiring utility companies to pay for light poles and other structures on public rights of way, and $80 million by redirecting 2.5 cents per gallon from the gasoline tax currently earmarked for cleanup of underground storage tanks.

A conference committee will now hammer out differences between the two versions, but analysts expect the final measure to be closer to the Senate’s $800 million number. Governor Patrick had threatened to veto the House blueprint, but has not said directly whether he would sign a final bill with the Senate numbers.

Associated Industries of Massachusetts has maintained throughout the debate that lawmakers should fund transportation improvements with transportation-specific sources of revenue rather than business taxes such as the one on computer software. The association nevertheless believes that the legislation passed by the House and Senate takes positive steps toward fixing the transportation system without crippling increases to the income tax or other broad-based levies.

AIM also remains encouraged that both the House and Senate bills would require the MBTA and Department of Transportation to accelerate reasonable benchmarks for revenues, savings, and reforms. A menu of reforms approved in 2009 was supposed to generate $6.5 billion in savings over 20 years, but has so far reduced costs by just $500 million.

“Employers understand the need for Massachusetts to maintain a transportation infrastructure that supports economic growth. The Senate and House measures solve the immediate and long-term structural deficit of the state transportation system,” said John Regan, Executive Vice President of Government Affairs at AIM.

The increase in the gasoline tax would cause an average driver to pay an additional $12 to $30 per year to fill the tank. The Legislature said it did not want to rely solely on increasing the gas tax because gas consumption has declined in recent years and is expected to continue to fall.

The plan would provide “forward funding” for regional transit authorities in 2014 and allow the Department of Transportation to move all employees onto the operating budget by 2016, ending the current practice of paying for personnel with borrowed funds.

Information provided by the Legislature indicates that their proposal to apply the sales tax to software modifications and systems design does not impose taxes on cloud-based services such as remote data storage. Downloads of computer games, music and books would also remain outside the new sales tax.

Other elements of the Senate bill include:

A provision directing the Department of Transportation (DOT) to move towards open road tolling on major routes other than the Turnpike.

A commitment to transfer up to approximately $160 million per year from the general fund to the transportation fund in years beyond Fiscal 2018.

A directive to the MBTA to pursue naming rights sales on its stations and other assets.

Senate President Therese Murray and House Speaker Robert DeLeo last week announced a proposal that would increase gasoline, tobacco and certain business taxes to close an operational deficit in the Massachusetts transportation system that is set to reach $548 million by Fiscal Year 2018.

The legislative plan would generate $110 million by increasing the gasoline tax 3 cents per gallon and then indexing the levy to inflation. It also raises $161 million from a tax on computer services, $110 million from tobacco taxes and $83 million from changes to utility classification and sales sourcing.

The measure is more focused than Governor Deval Patrick’s earlier plan to spend more than $1.9 billion a year on transportation and education. The governor sought to increase the income tax from 5.25 to 6.25 percent, eliminate 44 personal exemptions and deductions, reduce the sales tax from 6.25 to 4.5 percent and raise corporate taxes by $500 million annually.

John Regan, Executive Vice President of Government Affairs at Associated Industries of Massachusetts, said employers are encouraged that the Murray/DeLeo proposal requires both the MBTA and Department of Transportation to meet reasonable benchmarks for revenues, savings, and reforms.

“Although we would have preferred that the plan rely more heavily on transportation-specific sources of revenue, we nevertheless believe that the proposal announced by Senate President Murray and Speaker DeLeo takes a meaningful step in the right direction by solving the immediate and long-term structural deficit of the state transportation system.” Regan said.

The increase in the gasoline tax would cause an average driver to pay an additional $12 to $30 per year to fill the tank. The Legislature said it did not want to rely solely on increasing the gas tax because gas consumption has declined in recent years and is expected to continue to fall.

The plan would provide “forward funding” for regional transit authorities in 2014 and allow the Department of Transportation to move all employees onto the operating budget by 2016, ending the current practice of paying for personnel with borrowed funds.

Information provided by the Legislature indicates that their proposal to apply the sales tax to software modifications and systems design does not impose taxes on cloud-based services such as remote data storage. Downloads of computer games, music and books would also remain outside the new sales tax.

Richard C. Lord, President and Chief Executive Officer of AIM, commended the Legislature for its proposal and Governor Patrick for initiating a serious and thorough discussion of state spending priorities.

The full House is scheduled to debate the plan later today. Although AIM would have liked to see more reliance on transportation-related revenues and less on increased business taxes, we believe this plan represents a reasonable approach in the midst of a less than robust economic recovery and we encourage the members of the House to support it.

How significant are the financial challenges facing the Massachusetts transportation and highway systems?

“The people mowing the grass are paid from the capital budget,” Transportation Secretary Richard Davey told more than 200 business leaders at the AIM Executive Forum this morning.

Davey said the plan announced this week to close a $185 million deficit at the MBTA is merely a prelude to a broader debate about how to solve a $1.3 billion annual shortfall in funding for roads, bridges and mass transit in the Bay State. The Department of Transportation (DOT) continues to squeeze savings and efficiency from its three-year restructuring, according to Davey, but he said no amount of administrative overhaul will solve the long-term financial puzzle.

“This system we have currently is one we cannot afford,” said the secretary, who took over the top job at the Department of Transportation in August after serving as general manager of the T.

The Patrick administration announced a plan Wednesday to raise MBTA fares by an average of 23 percent and to eliminate four bus routes and some weekend commuter rail service. Subway fares would climb to $2 from $1.70 – a 17 percent increase – and the cost of a bus ride will climb to $1.50 from $1.25, a 25 percent jump.

Davey called the fare hikes a one-time solution that will still leave the T with a deficit of between $100 million and $110 million next year. At the same time, he said, the T spends approximately $300 million a year less than it should to maintain its system.

The commissioner demurred when asked to endorse a single long-term solution to the financial crisis but said that the commonwealth will need a user-based system to raise revenue. He noted that Governor Deval Patrick’s proposal three years ago to raise the state gasoline tax generated significant opposition.

Davey said that the Department of Transportation has four primary objectives:

Driving reform to save money and improve service – DOT has its lowest staffing levels in 15 years, has overhauled its retirement system and is using electronic tolling and other technology to deliver services with fewer people.

Make reform visible to citizens – DOT is already using electronic highway signs to provide commuter information and is exploring the possibility of allowing consumers to renew licenses with smart phones.

Yes it is. Beset by controversy on other fronts, MassDOT is demonstrating what good government can be in its Fast 14 I-93 Rapid Bridge Replacement Project. The project to replace 14 bridges in the Medford area, part of the Patrick-Murray Administration's Accelerated Bridge Program, is designed to cause the fewest possible construction-related impacts on traffic, businesses, residents and tourism.

The old bridges are being replaced with modular superstructure units that are fabricated off-site, eliminating years of work in the roadway. Work is done between Friday night and Monday morning so as not to affect commuting, and four lanes of I-93 (two in each direction) are kept open for through traffic. An extensive public information effort has been mounted to make drivers aware of ramp closures, potential delays and alternative routes.

To date, 10 of the 14 bridges have been replaced, with each weekend’s work completed, and the roads reopened, ahead of schedule. All work will be completed by the end of August.

More than 80 percent of the $98.1 million project cost will be paid with federal funds, including a $1 million grant from the Federal Highway Administration's Highways for Life program.

The project is already a national model. In mid-July, the Federal Highway Administration held the Fast 14 Bridge Replacement Showcase, which attracted representatives from 26 state departments of transportation eager to learn how to use innovative, customer-centered and safety-driven techniques on their bridge construction projects. Federal Highway Administrator Victor Mendez and MassDOT Secretary Jeff Mullan led a field trip to witness the rapid construction firsthand.

We believe that state highway officials are not the only people in government who have something to learn from this successful project.